The New Orleans Pelicans were one of the youngest teams in the NBA entering the 2023-24 season, ranking 9th and having an average age of 25.7 years.
That value will increase a bit in the 2024-25 season. Dyson Daniels, the 2022 first-round pick who only turned 21 in March, was traded to the Atlanta Hawks as part of the Dejounte Murray blockbuster.
Despite losing Daniels, the Pelicans were able to add another interesting young player in Yves Missi, their first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. This roster is loaded with young talent with great potential, led by former first-round pick Zion Williamson.
Missi and Williamson are two of seven players on the roster born in 2000 or later. There are plenty of young players to be excited about, but one stands out among his peers: Jordan Hawkins.
Hawkins, a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Connecticut, was selected by Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report as New Orleans’ best-kept secret for the 2024-25 season.
“Jordan Hawkins lived up to his reputation as perhaps the best motion shooter in the 2023 draft class, darting around picks, finding space and using his quick trigger to sink threes from all angles. The New Orleans Pelicans wisely played sets just to get him free, and Hawkins also showed a talent for blocking others,” Hughes wrote.
Shooting is Hawkins’ most important skill right now, and we learned that the hard way when we witnessed his performance during the 2024 NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas.
The Pelicans wanted to increase Hawkins’ responsibilities on the court and let him be more of a ball handler and playmaker. The results were disastrous, as Hawkins scored more turnovers than baskets in Las Vegas.
His star has faded somewhat in the opinion of some fans, but Hawkins is someone you can’t give up on. He still has potential and his strengths should be exploited with the roster currently assembled.
“Hawkins is the type of offensive talent that some teams build their entire strategies around. Expect him to show his worth as his playing time increases from last year’s measly 17.3 minutes,” Hughes wrote.
The easiest way to free up playing time for Hawkins and fellow up-and-coming prospect Trey Murphy is to find a team to trade for Brandon Ingram. A trade for Ingram would balance the team’s roster and give the young players playing time to showcase their talent in an expanded role.
